Psychology of job choice

As a result of the Bandwagon effect we tend to make job choices according to other people’s opinions or follow what the majority does

In a highly competitive and unstable job market like today we may have to make job choice decisions on many occasions along our career path. 

Some people, especially those in public sector, have lifelong jobs. However, they should also have made this important job choice decision during their early job searching period. In the meantime, many would think that they are making correct job choice decisions with whatever available information. In fact, chances are higher that most of us make silly career decisions without our knowledge.

According to psychology these mistakes are due to cognitive biases that affect our decision making more often than not. Therefore, to avoid disappointments we have to be aware of those biases before making job choice decisions. This article is an attempt to discuss some of those cognitive biases that involve in job choice decision making process. Some of the common cognitive biases are discussed below.

 

Bandwagon effect 

As a result of the Bandwagon effect we tend to make job choices according to other people’s opinions or follow what the majority does. In many cases we try to follow our colleagues who obtained similar qualifications to us. What needs to be realised is that other than educational qualifications, skills too matter a lot for career success. If someone can have a fair self-evaluation about his or her competencies he or she will realise that many other career opportunities are within the reach.

 

Authority bias 

Sometimes we tend to consider someone’s opinion as we respect him. Therefore, without a proper evaluation of our competencies we make career decisions according to their wishes. The category of this respected people may include our teachers, parents, and members of clergy. 

Unless those who advice us do not have a correct evaluation of our competencies and a real understanding of the nature of the job they propose we may end up in a real disappointment. Therefore, we should not make job decisions for the sake of respect and it is better to discuss about their propositions rationally.

 

Discounting 

Sometimes we go for what is available rather than waiting for what is best suited to our qualifications. Due to this urgency we may miss better job opportunities. It is worth mentioning the idiom here “satisfaction is the death of desire”.

 

Confirmation bias 

People are in the habit of paying attention to information that confirms their ideas and beliefs. It is very rarely someone take the challenge by looking for contradictory information. Common feature of this bias is that after selecting a job someone tries to find reasons to justify his decision rather than look into the better opportunities missed out.

 

Contrast effect 

We can be happy if we can get a better job than the one we had earlier. Still, it may not be the best job. Only by comparison we come to the conclusion that the job is better. This may work vice versa as well. We will be disappointed if we get a job with little negative aspects compared to the earlier one we had. Still, neither of them can be good as far as our expectations are concerned. Similarly, we may dislike certain jobs because they don’t have enough of what we like. This scenario is called contrast effect and we have to be aware of this as well.

 

Focusing effect 

A jobseeker may focus on one specific factor during a job search. For instance, one would look for a job where the place of work is closer to his residence. While doing so he may miss many other important factors like career advancement, salary etc., and may end up with job dissatisfaction in the long run. 

Recruiters also try to highlight the best features of certain jobs to attract job seekers where they hide other aspects which are not that appealing. For instance, a certain firm may say that a company-maintained car is provided for the position while hiding the fact that the selected person has to work long hours involving much travelling.

 

Framing 

We sometimes get caught to something based on the way it is presented rather than looking at the reality behind it. Likewise, we are influenced by certain presented information about a job and do not ponder on its actual circumstances. It may be either images or fascinating words that describe the job rather that its contents. This cognitive bias is called framing. Recruiters try to attract job seekers by using this trick where they publish their vacancies in newspapers in an attractive way.

 

Loss aversion

Each of us may have acquired differing qualifications. The time, money and effort dedicated for obtaining these qualifications may be immense. As a consequence, we may try to give a real meaning for our effort by choosing a job that merely satisfies such qualifications. 

In the meantime, we may neglect other job related aspects like pay, work-life balance and the like that directly affect job satisfaction. Some educated women engage in cumbersome jobs while they have enough other incomes to live a comfortable life. Without remaining as housewives they engage in these occupations mainly as they have spent money and time to obtain their educational qualifications. 

 

Mere exposure effect 

Lack of exposure to job conditions may end up selecting a job someone has happened to hear of. On the other hand someone may reject a job with the little experience he has had. Accordingly, mere exposure effect may lead to wrong decisions. 

 

Halo effect 

Based on few factors especially during the initial period of the career we may come to general conclusion either it to be good or bad. Without having an overall scrutiny it is not wise to make job decision based on such dominating factors.

 

Stereotyping 

People consider certain jobs based on various assumptions and limited information. For instance, people say the police service is corrupt. However, all policemen are not corrupt. Based on few incidents and little information we make the assumption that all policemen are alike. Similarly, people make either positive or negative assumptions on various jobs which are far beyond the reality.

 

Availability heuristic 

We may be giving too much attention to events that happen frequently and tend to overestimate the probability and likelihood of similar things happening in the future. With regard to job selection we may focus on jobs which are much talked about in the society and try to make decisions based on that information. 

For instance if you see news reports about people engaged in financial institutions losing their jobs, you might not think to find a job in a financial institution irrespective of the fact that you are paid a higher salary. 

Many cognitive biases related to job choice decision making were discussed above. Still, somebody may think that he or she does not suffer from these biases. But remember, if you believe so, that also is a cognitive bias. 

My sincere advice is that you must think rationally and look at the whole picture before jumping into conclusions. Explore your competencies and look for various job options. Select a job that best suits your competencies, values and interests, and embark on a journey with utmost satisfaction. 

(The writer is a Chartered Civil Engineer. He has obtained his BSc Engineering degree from the University of Peradeniya and possesses an MBA obtained from the commonwealth of learning.)